System and method for viewing an area using an optical system positioned inside of a dewar

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system for viewing an area includes a dewar and an optical system positioned within the dewar. The dewar permits operation of the flux detector at cryogenic temperatures, in some embodiments. The optical system includes an infrared radiation system capable of focusing one or more light beams. The inclusion of the optical system within the cryogenic space of the dewar allows reduction of the overall system length and weight, if desired.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/777,020 filed Jul. 12, 2007 entitled “System and Method for Viewingan Area Using an Optical System Positioned Inside of a Dewar,” now U.S.Pat. No. 8,044,355.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of thermal imagery andmore specifically to a system and method for viewing an area using anoptical system positioned inside of a dewar.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A thermal imaging system traditionally consists of a detector, orcollection of detectors, sensitive to infrared radiation, and an opticalsystem capable of receiving and focusing said radiation onto thedetector. For maximum sensitivity, the infrared detector is oftencooled, typically to cryogenic temperatures. In order to maintain thedetector at these cryogenic temperatures, a vacuum enclosure is requiredto minimize thermal losses though heat conduction. This vacuum enclosureis termed a “dewar.”

Unfortunately the length of the traditional combination of an opticalsystem and the detector/dewar is much longer than either the length ofthe optical system or the detector/dewar alone. This excessive length,and attendant weight, is a serious disadvantage in a number ofapplications, ranging from portable surveillance equipment to missilewarning systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system forviewing an area includes a dewar and an optical system positioned withinthe dewar. The dewar permits operation of the flux detector at cryogenictemperatures, in some embodiments. The optical system includes aninfrared radiation system capable of focusing one or more light beams.The inclusion of the optical system within the cryogenic space of thedewar allows reduction of the overall system length and weight, ifdesired.

Certain embodiments of the invention may provide one or more technicaladvantages. A technical advantage of one embodiment may be thatpositioning the optical system completely inside of the dewar reducesthe size of the system. As a result, the system can be used inapplications where space is limited, such as missile warning systems,portable surveillance equipment, and military aircraft. A technicaladvantage of a further embodiment may be that using a single materialtype to create the optical system allows the entire optical system toshrink at the same rate when exposed to extreme cold (cryogenic)temperatures. This prevents the optical system from either fracturing orundergoing misalignment as a result of the elements of the opticalsystem shrinking at different rates. A technical advantage of a furtherembodiment may be that since the optical system resides within acryogenic space, it is insensitive to changes in the external ambienttemperature. A technical advantage of a further embodiment allows theoptical system to be refocused using a collimator. Because the opticalsystem is sealed inside of a cryogenically cooled dewar, it is notpossible to refocus the optical system once the optical system is sealedinside the dewar. The use of a collimator circumvents this problem,allowing the optical system to be correctly focused in spite of itlocation inside the dewar.

Certain embodiments of the invention may include none, some, or all ofthe above technical advantages. One or more technical advantages may bereadily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures,descriptions, and claims included herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and itsfeatures and advantages, reference is now made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1A is a cut out drawing illustrating one embodiment of a systemcapable of allowing imaging of an infrared scene;

FIG. 1B shows a conventional optical system along with thedetector/dewar;

FIG. 2A is a side view of the system of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2B is a cut out drawing illustrating one embodiment of an opticalsystem of the system of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3A is a cut out drawing illustrating one embodiment of an opticalsystem of the system of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3B is an exploded diagram illustrating the individual elements ofthe optical system of FIG. 3A; and

FIG. 4 is flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method for focusinga system comprising an optical system located inside of a dewar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention and its advantages are bestunderstood by referring to FIGS. 1A through 4 of the drawings, likenumerals being used for like in corresponding parts of the variousdrawings.

FIG. 1A is a cut out drawing illustrating one embodiment of a system 10capable of allowing an infrared scene to be viewed with a system of muchreduced overall length. According to the illustrated embodiment, system10 generally includes a dewar 14 and an optical system 18 disposedwithin dewar 14. Enclosing optical system 18 inside of dewar 14 allowsthe dimensions of system 10 to be reduced to only the dimensions ofdewar 14, while still maintaining the full function of optical system18. Therefore, by reducing the size of system 10, system 10 may be usedfor more applications. Additionally, by entirely enclosing opticalsystem 18 inside of dewar 14, the radiation from external backgroundsources is reduced, improving the sensitivity of a thermal imageproduced by the system.

Dewar 14 may refer to any suitable dewar capable of maintainingcryogenic temperatures for the infrared detector 54, shown in FIGS. 2Aand 2B. Dewar 14 may have any suitable length.

In the illustrated embodiment, dewar 14 further includes a dewar window22 capable of allowing light beams to enter dewar 14. Dewar window 22may be a window made of germanium, silicon, or other suitable material.

Optical system 18 may refer to any system capable of focusing radiation.For example, optical system 18 may include a camera, a telescope, asurveillance camera, or an infrared radiation imaging system. In theillustrated embodiment, optical system 18 (shown best in FIGS. 2A-3B)refers to a wide-angle infrared radiation imaging system, which iscapable of focusing infrared radiation in order to form a thermal image.In this embodiment, the field of view ranges between 30 degrees and 150degrees and most likely greater than 90 degrees. In the illustratedembodiment, optical system 18 further includes a non-reimaging opticalsystem.

In an embodiment in which optical system 18 is a non-reimaging opticalsystem, optical system 18 forms the required infrared image without theformation of an intermediate image plane. By way of contrast, aconventional infrared optical system, such as shown in FIG. 1B, utilizesa reimaging optical system which forms an intermediate image. The intentof this intermediate image plane is to allow for the formation of anexit pupil located inside the dewar, just ahead of the detector. Thisexit pupil is important to reducing the undesirable infrared flux on thedetector, and thus improving sensitivity. The penalty incurred in theuse of a reimaging optical system is the greatly increased overalllength of the optical system, again as shown in FIG. 1B.

Unfortunately, keeping the infrared detector at a very low temperaturecauses various problems, at least one of which is illustrated in FIG.1B. FIG. 1B shows a conventional infrared system comprised of an opticalsystem 308, and a separate detector/dewar 304. The overall length of thetotal system is the sum of 308 and 304. In the illustrated embodiment,system 300 includes a dewar 304, with a length of L₁, and an opticalsystem 308, with a length of L₂. To keep the infrared detector at a lowtemperature, optical system 308 is coupled to dewar 304. As a result,the length of prior art system 300 is the combination of the length ofoptical system 308 and dewar 304. Various applications of a thermalimaging system (e.g. missile warning system in a military aircraft),however, require that the imaging system be very small. Therefore, forexample, a system having a combined length of optical system 308 anddewar 304 is undesirable, and may also be unusable in future aircraftdesigns.

Certain embodiments of the present invention can significantly reducethe overall length of an infrared optical system. To facilitate thisreduction in size, in one embodiment, the optical system is enclosedwithin the cryogenic space of the dewar to combine the reducedbackground flux of a conventional reimaging optical system with agreatly reduced overall length. Additional details of optical system 18are described with reference to FIGS. 2A-3B.

Placing the optical system within a dewar is counterintuitive for anumber of reasons. One fundamental problem involves the difficulty ofmaintaining optical alignment when the optical system must undergo largetemperature excursions between room temperature and operating cryogenictemperature. Additionally, the mechanical stresses involved in thisrepeated cooling can lead to stress induced failure of the opticalmaterials themselves. For instance, as a material is cooled, thematerial shrinks. For an optical system, this effect impacts both theoptical materials and the housing material that holds the lenses.Furthermore, as a result of different properties of each material, eachmaterial shrinks at a different rate when cooled. Thus, if an opticalsystem includes various components, each component consisting of adifferent material, each component would shrink at a different rate andcause the optical system to break.

Additionally, even if all of the components included in the opticalsystem consist of the same material, causing all the components toshrink at the same rate, the optical system will defocus and render theoptical system incapable of focusing the light beams into a discernablethermal image. Once the optical system is sealed inside of a dewaroperating at cryogenic temperature, attempts to focus the optical systemwould be impossible.

The teachings of the invention recognize the advantages that may flowfrom placing an optical system within the dewar, and also recognize waysto address problems that would render difficult such placement. In theillustrated embodiment, optical system 18 includes components made of asingle material. Because these components are made of a single material,the very low temperature of dewar 14 shrinks the size of each componentby the same rate. In doing so, optical system 18 shrinks as a whole,keeping optical system 18 from undergoing mechanical fracture.Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment of system 10 is capable of beingrefocused using an external collimator, thus, alleviating the problem ofrefocusing an optical system inside of a sealed and cryogenically cooleddewar. Additional details are described in conjunction with FIGS. 2A-4.

FIG. 2A is a side view of system 10 according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. In the illustrated embodiment, system 10 includesoptical system 18 (further discussed in reference to FIGS. 2B-3B)disposed within dewar 14. Dewar 14 further includes dewar window 22capable of allowing light beams 42 to enter dewar 14.

Light beams 42 may refer to one or more suitable light waves. Forexample, light beams 42 may include ultraviolet light waves, visiblelight waves, infrared light waves, or any other suitable light waves,including combinations thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, lightbeams 42 include one or more infrared light waves.

FIG. 2B is a cut out drawing illustrating optical system 18 of theembodiment of system 10 referenced in FIG. 2A. Optical system 18generally includes an aperture stop 34, one or more lenses 38, one ormore mounted surfaces 46 (further discussed in reference to FIGS. 3A and3B), and an infrared detector 54. Because optical system 18 is locatedinside of dewar 14, each of the components of optical system 18 must becapable of enduring a wide range of temperatures. In the illustratedembodiment, the components of optical system 18 are capable of focusinglight beams 42 while being cooled to temperatures ranging between −320degrees Fahrenheit and −346 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to achieve thiscapability, optical system 18 may be formed from, for example, a singlematerial type. In the illustrated embodiment, optical system 18 isformed from silicon. In a further embodiment, optical system 18 mayinclude germanium. Those skilled in the art can envision other materialsthat may be suitable using this design philosophy.

Aperture stop 34 may refer to any suitable device capable of controllingan intensity of light beams 42 received by infrared detector 54. In oneembodiment, aperture stop 34 is formed of a single material type. In theillustrated embodiment, aperture stop 34 is formed from metal depositedon a silicon lens.

Lenses 38 may refer to any suitable devices capable of bending lightbeams 42. For example, lenses 38 may be formed from any suitablematerial type. In the illustrated embodiment, lenses 38 are formed froma single material type: silicon. In the illustrated embodiment, lenses38 include lenses 38 a-d stacked together. This stacking of lenses 38a-d, for example, allows light beams 42 to be bent repeatedly at eachlens 38 a-d in order for optical system 18 to focus the view of an area.In another embodiment, lenses 38 are further capable of being stacked bymounted surfaces 46, as is seen in FIG. 3A.

Infrared detector 54 may refer to any suitable device capable ofreceiving light beams 42 and further capable of using light beams 42 toallow system 10 to generate a thermal image of a view of an area. In oneembodiment, infrared detector 54 is formed from a single material type.In the illustrated embodiment, infrared detector 54 is formed fromindium antimonide. In one embodiment, infrared detector 54 is cooled bydewar 14 so that infrared detector 54 is capable of detecting the levelof photon energy in various components of the light beams 42. Bydetermining the level of energy in various light beams 42, infrareddetector 54 allows system 10 to generate a thermal image of a view of anarea.

In the illustrated embodiment, optical system 18 further incorporatesreflective surfaces on the external portions of the optical system.These reflective surfaces are capable of further improving the abilityof the system to reduce radiation from light beams 42.

FIG. 3A is a cut out drawing illustrating an embodiment of opticalsystem 18. In the illustrated embodiment, mounted surfaces 46 includesmounted surfaces 46 a-f. Mounted surface 46 a is coupled to mountedsurface 46 b. Additionally, mounted surface 46 b is coupled to both 46 aand 46 c. Following a substantially similar pattern, mounted surfaces 46c-f are each coupled to respective mounted surfaces 46 c-f. As a result,lenses 38 a-d and aperture stop 34 are stacked together, as seen in FIG.2B. Mounted surfaces 46 c-f preferably made of the same material as arethe lenses 38 a-d. This glass-to-glass joining of similar materialspermits the illustrated optical system to survive repeated cycles tocryogenic temperatures without suffering mechanical fracture, or opticalmisalignment. A different material may be used for the mounted surfaces46 c-f than is used for lenses 38 a-d in order to achieve particularproperties such as a particular coefficient of thermal expansion.Mounted surfaces 46 f is further capable of coupling with dewar 14,allowing optical system 18 to be located within dewar 14, as is seen inFIGS. 1A and 2A.

FIG. 3B is an illustration of one embodiment of optical system 18. Inthe illustrated embodiment, mounted surfaces 46 are further capable ofbeing separated from their coupling with one or more mounted surfaces46, allowing access to lenses 38 a-d and aperture stop 34. Mountedsurfaces 46 are further capable of being recoupled with one or moremounted surfaces 46, enabling optical system 18 to be put back together.In the illustrated embodiment, mounted surfaces 46 may be createdaccording to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0179,277,which is incorporated herein by reference.

According to an embodiment of system 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 2A,optical system 18 is located inside of dewar 14. As a result of thelocation of optical system 18, optical system 18 is subjected tocryogenic temperatures that will cause optical system 18 to change itsfocus position, inhibiting its ability to focus light beams 42. This isa fundamental problem associated with mounting an optical system whollywithin a cryogenic space. To alleviate this problem, system 10, in oneembodiment, is capable of being refocused.

FIG. 4 is flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method forrefocusing an embodiment of system 10 with optical system 18 locatedinside of dewar 14. In one embodiment, system 10 must be refocusedbecause the temperature inside of dewar 14 causes optical system 18 toshrink and unfocus. The method begins at step 500. At step 502, acollimator is adjusted for infinity focus. This collimator may refer toany device capable of generating light beams which appear to originateat an infinite distance, or, in other words, so as to only allow thelight beams travelling parallel to a specified direction through thedevice.

At step, 504, system 10 is mounted in front of the collimator and iscooled to its operating temperature. In one embodiment, system 10 iscooled to an operating temperature by filling dewar 14 with a coldsubstance such as liquid helium. According to one embodiment, system 10is cooled by filling dewar 14 with liquid nitrogen. In a furtherembodiment, cooling system 10 is accomplished using a temporary coverfor dewar 14, allowing dewar 14 to be opened up in order to refocusoptical system 18.

Once system 10 is cooled and is capable of viewing an area, system 10 isused to view a target plate by means of the collimator. At step 506, thedistance of the target plate is adjusted to obtain the best view of thetarget plate. In one embodiment, this step includes viewing the targetplate using the thermal image generated by system 10. Based on thechange in distance of the target plate, a distance change at thecollimator is computed at step 508.

The distance change at the reflective collimator is scaled to a distancecorrelating to system 10 at step 510. In one embodiment, this scale isdetermined by the longitudinal magnification of the reflectivecollimator relative to the system 10. In a further embodiment, thisratio is 300:1. At step 512, the scale is used to determine a thicknessof a shim be added to system 10 in order to allow optical system 18 toproperly focus light beams 42. The shim may refer to any device operableto be added to system 10 in order to allow optical system 18 to properlyfocus light beams 42.

At step 514, system 10 is warmed and the proper shim is inserted intosystem 10. In one embodiment, the shim is added to optical system 18 inorder to correctly space lenses 38, enabling light beams 42 to be bentin order to focus the view of an area. Once the shim has been added tosystem 10, the temporary cover is put back on system 10 and system 10 isonce again cooled to an operable temperature. At step 516, the focusingability of system 10 is verified. Once the focusing ability of system 10has been verified, system 10 is once again warmed, the temporary coveris removed, and a permanent cover is added to system 10. The method endsat step 518.

Certain embodiments of the invention may provide one or more technicaladvantages. A technical advantage of one embodiment may be thatpositioning the optical system completely inside of the dewar reducesthe size of the system. As a result, the system can be used inapplications where space is limited, such as missile warning systems,portable surveillance equipment, and military aircraft.

A technical advantage of a further embodiment may be that using a singlematerial type to create the optical system allows the entire opticalsystem to shrink at the same rate when exposed to extreme cold(cryogenic) temperatures. This prevents the optical system from eitherfracturing or undergoing misalignment as a result of the elements of theoptical system shrinking at different rates.

A technical advantage of a further embodiment may be that since theoptical system resides within a cryogenic space, it is insensitive tochanges in the external ambient temperature.

A technical advantage of a further embodiment allows the optical systemto be refocused using a collimator. Because the optical system is sealedinside of a cryogenically cooled dewar, it is not possible to refocusthe optical system once the optical system is sealed inside the dewar.The use of a collimator circumvents this problem, allowing the opticalsystem to be correctly focused in spite of it location inside the dewar.

Although embodiments of the invention and its advantages are describedin detail, a person skilled in the art could make various alterations,additions, and omissions without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A system, comprising: a vacuum enclosure including an optical windowconfigured to allow one or more light beams to enter the vacuumenclosure, the vacuum enclosure configured to selectively reduce atemperature within the vacuum enclosure from an ambient temperature to acryogenic temperature; and an infrared optical system sealed entirelywithin the vacuum enclosure, the optical window and the infrared opticalsystem configured to provide, without employing focusing lenses externalto the vacuum enclosure, an in-focus view of an area based on the one ormore light beams while the infrared optical system is at the cryogenictemperature, the infrared optical system comprising a lens coupled to atleast one mounted surface supporting the lens, wherein the lens is madeof a same material type as the at least one mounted surface.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the infrared optical system comprises aplurality of lenses each coupled to the at least one mounted surface,the lenses and the at least one mounted surface configured to providethe in-focus view of the area and all sealed entirely within the vacuumenclosure, wherein the plurality of lenses and the at least one mountedsurface are spaced apart from internal sidewalls and wherein all of thelenses are each made of the same material type as the at least onemounted surface.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality oflenses and the at least one mounted surface form a generally conicalstructure with an outer surface spaced apart from the internal sidewallsfor the vacuum enclosure.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the materialtype comprises one of silicon and germanium.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the infrared optical system further comprises: a flux detectoroperable to receive one or more light beams; and an aperture stopconfigured to control an intensity of the one or more light beamsreceived by the flux detector.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein theoptical window and the infrared optical system are configured to providean in-focus view of a far field area.
 7. The system of claim 5, whereinthe flux detector comprises an infrared detector.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein the infrared optical system further comprises a non-reimaginginfrared optical system.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the infraredoptical system further comprises a reflective outer surface on the atleast one mounted surface.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein theinfrared optical system is configured to provide a field of view between30 degrees and 150 degrees.
 11. A method, comprising: providing a vacuumenclosure including an optical window configured to allow one or morelight beams to enter the vacuum enclosure; providing a cooler configuredto selectively cool an interior of the vacuum enclosure from an ambienttemperature to a cryogenic temperature; sealing an infrared opticalsystem entirely within the vacuum enclosure; and configuring the opticalwindow and the infrared optical system to provide, without employingfocusing lenses external to the vacuum enclosure, an in-focus view of anarea based on the one or more light beams while the infrared opticalsystem is at the cryogenic temperature, the infrared optical systemcomprising a plurality of lenses coupled to one or more mounted surfacessupporting the lenses, wherein all of the lenses are each made of a samematerial type.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the lenses and theone or more mounted surfaces are spaced apart from internal sidewalls ofa housing and wherein the lenses are each made of the same material typeas the one or more mounted surfaces.
 13. The method of claim 11, whereinthe plurality of lenses and the one or more mounted surfaces form agenerally conical structure with an outer surface spaced apart from theinternal sidewalls for the vacuum enclosure.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein the material type comprises one of silicon and germanium. 15.The method of claim 11, wherein the infrared optical system furthercomprises: a flux detector configured to receive one or more light beamsfocused by the lenses: and an aperture stop configured to control anintensity of the one or more light beams received by the flux detector.16. The method of claim 15, wherein the vacuum enclosure includes awindow configured to allow the one or more light beams to enter thevacuum enclosure.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the flux detectorcomprises an infrared detector.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein theinfrared optical system further comprises a non-reimaging infraredoptical system.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the infrared opticalsystem further comprises a reflective outer surface on the one or moremounted surfaces.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the infraredoptical system is configured to provide a field of view between 30degrees and 150 degrees.
 21. A system, comprising: a vacuum enclosureincluding an optical window configured to allow one or more light beamsto enter the vacuum enclosure, the vacuum enclosure configured toselectively reduce a temperature within the vacuum enclosure from anambient temperature to a cryogenic temperature; an infrared opticalsystem sealed entirely within the vacuum enclosure, the optical windowand the infrared optical system configured to provide, without employingfocusing lenses external to the vacuum enclosure, an in-focus view of anarea based on the one or more light beams while the infrared opticalsystem is at the cryogenic temperature, the infrared optical systemcomprising: one or more lenses coupled to one or more mounted surfacessupporting the lenses, wherein at least one of the one or more lenses ismade of a first material type and at least one of the one or moremounted surfaces is made of a second material type, the second materialtype selected based on a relationship of a coefficient of thermalexpansion for the second material type to a coefficient of thermalexpansion for the first material type; a flux detector operable toreceive the one or more light beams entering the vacuum enclosurethrough the optical window and focused by the one or more lenses; and anaperture stop operable to control an intensity of the one or more lightbeams received by the flux detector, wherein the infrared optical systemis operable to provide a field of view between 30 degrees and 150degrees.